Jocko Willink Reveals his Fasting Strategy to Stay Lean All Year

Intro (0s)

• As one ages, their approach to eating and timing may change, with some becoming more flexible with their eating schedule, while others may not (7s).
• In the past, the individual's eating schedule was periodized around workouts, with specific pre- and post-workout meals, but now they are more relaxed about this (40s).
• During their time in the SEAL Teams, the individual would eat when they could, as their schedule was unpredictable and physically demanding, with limited time for meals (48s).
• The individual's role as a radio man in the SEAL Teams required them to carry extra weight, including a radio, batteries, and water, leaving little room for food, resulting in a limited diet of MREs and trail mix during extended periods in the field (1m59s).
• This limited diet in the field would often result in weight loss, but the individual preferred not to eat much while in the field to avoid carrying extra weight (2m48s).
• The individual's eating habits have changed over time, with a shift from a more structured approach to a more flexible one, allowing for adjustments based on their schedule and needs (45s).

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• Colostrum is a compound secreted right after birth, containing lactoferrin and bioactive compounds that support life, with strong literature backing its benefits for gut health (3m13s).
• Most colostrum products are damaged by high heat during production, denaturing and eliminating bioactive compounds, but ARMRA uses a biopotent cold technology that preserves these compounds (3m31s).
• ARMRA's unique technology makes it one of the most unique colostrum products on the market, and a 15% discount is available through a provided link and code (3m43s).
• Noticing a difference in digestion and gut health took about a week, but improvements in complexion were more noticeable, with others also commenting on the positive change (4m4s).
• The improved complexion included reduced circles under the eyes and a more rested appearance (4m12s).

Working Out Fasted (4m18s)

• The individual does not eat before working out in the morning, as having food in their stomach makes them feel like they're going to vomit, and instead only has water before exercising (4m45s).
• Occasionally, they might have a pre-workout, but this is rare, happening about once every two months (5m4s).
• Around 10:00 in the morning, they start feeling hungry and have some mixed nuts, followed by a protein shake, which they find gratifying and allows for digestion before training Jiu-Jitsu in the afternoon (5m21s).
• The goal is to have digested food before engaging in strenuous activities like Jiu-Jitsu, which is typically trained at 4:00 in the afternoon (5m43s).
• After training, they eat a steak, have another protein shake, and a big salad, which is their typical eating pattern (6m3s).
• This eating pattern is driven by the need to have food digested before doing strenuous things, such as Jiu-Jitsu or going on operations (6m33s).
• Even in situations like going on operations in Iraq, they would barely eat anything before going into the field to avoid having food in their gut (6m47s).
• Fasting does not impact their activities, and they feel great when fasting, even recalling a 72-hour fast where they still performed well in Jiu-Jitsu and did heavy squats (7m14s).
• The overall eating pattern is centered around having food digested by the time they engage in their next strenuous training activity (7m43s).
• Fractal eating is considered a more effective approach to maintaining a lean physique, as it involves eating when the body needs to, rather than following a strict schedule like intermittent fasting (8m2s).
• This approach requires being in tune with the body's needs and can lead to optimal performance and digestion (8m23s).
• Years of conditioning the body to eat in this way can lead to improved fat adaptation and mitochondrial function, even at a cellular level (8m37s).
• The ability to eat in constrained environments, such as when food is scarce, is an important skill that can be developed through practice and training (9m2s).
• Fasting or going without food for a period of time can be seen as a form of training with a "nutritional weight vest," which can help build resilience and improve performance in depleted states (9m24s).
• Training in a depleted state can have benefits, such as improved muscle preservation and retention of lean mass, especially as people age (10m2s).
• The body can adapt to not having fuel by not going into "panic mode" and instead using stored energy sources, which can be beneficial for overall health and well-being (10m12s).
• Decades of practicing fractal eating and fasting can lead to psychological, epigenetic, and mitochondrial conditioning that can improve overall health and resilience (10m29s).
• Breaking the cycle of food addiction is important for both physical and psychological health, and can be achieved through practices like fractal eating and fasting (10m43s).

Fasting to Recalibrate Your Taste Buds (10m52s)

• Fasting recalibrates hunger and taste buds, making water taste delicious and food more enjoyable after the fast is completed (10m53s).
• When fasting, even simple foods like carrots taste good, whereas without fasting, only high-calorie foods like Twinkies may be appealing (11m27s).
• Fasting also recalibrates hunger, allowing individuals to distinguish between false hunger signals and actual hunger (11m41s).
• A similar concept applies to breath-holding, where the body sends false signals that can be ignored, and the same principle can be applied to hunger (11m50s).
• When fasting, the body may send false hunger signals, but these can be ignored, and the body can survive for extended periods without food (12m28s).
• Fasting helps to recalibrate hunger and taste buds, allowing individuals to develop a healthier relationship with food (12m53s).
• It is possible to perform physically demanding tasks while fasting, and it is essential to signal to the body that muscle is relevant and should not be burned for energy (13m14s).
• Examples of individuals performing impressive physical feats while fasting, such as Dominic D'Agostino deadlifting a personal record after a 5-day fast, demonstrate the potential for physical performance while fasting (13m26s).

You Should be Able to go 24 Hours Without Food (13m40s)

• There is a psychological element to needing food, where people believe they require it for performance enhancement or to feel strong, but this mindset can be limiting (13m42s).
• Dr. Andy Galpin stated that if someone cannot go 24 hours without food, there is a problem, as humans have historically gone without food for extended periods (14m15s).
• In the past, cavemen would go weeks without food while hunting, making the idea of needing food every few hours seem ridiculous (14m19s).
• Research suggests that for athletes, having fuel and carbohydrates on board can provide a 1% performance benefit, but there are also potential benefits to training in a fasted state (14m47s).
• Training in a fasted state can have a psychological benefit, as the body releases adrenaline and other chemicals that can enhance performance and cognitive function (15m1s).
• The release of norepinephrine and ketone bodies in a fasted state can have a positive effect on cognitive function and athletic performance (15m7s).
• For some athletes, training in a fasted state can help them push themselves harder and achieve personal records, as their brain is not holding them back (15m39s).
• Fasting can also eliminate the distraction of food, allowing individuals to focus on their training and performance (15m49s).

Monk Fasting (16m0s)

• For optimal physical performance in a competition, it is recommended to be 36 hours into a fast, as this is when the body is most ready to perform at its best (16m0s).
• This 36-hour fast is referred to as a "monk fast" due to the state of Zen and calmness achieved at this point, where the body is producing enough ketones to feel fully switched on (16m41s).
• The 36-hour mark is considered a sweet spot for many people, as it allows the body to deplete glycogen stores and start producing ketones, making it an ideal time for physical performance (17m3s).
• However, after the 36-hour mark, the body does start to deplete more, but a conditioned individual can still perform well at this point (16m57s).
• The monk fast is not recommended for events that heavily rely on glycogen stores, such as a marathon, but is suitable for activities that require a state of calm focus, such as Jiu-Jitsu or fighting (16m12s).

Fasting for Older Populations (17m15s)

• Older individuals often fear fasting due to associating it with death and dying, but it's actually an adaptation that requires a paradigm shift in how they view it (17m27s).
• As people age, they tend to become more fearful, and their past experiences with hunger may have led them to believe they make poor decisions when hungry, but it's possible that other factors contributed to their irritability (17m41s).
• People often attribute their irritability to hunger when they haven't eaten, but it's possible that other stressors in their lives, such as a busy schedule or family obligations, are the actual cause of their irritability, not the absence of food (18m8s).
• It's common for people to unintentionally go without eating due to a busy schedule, and they may not even notice it until later in the day, which can sometimes result in an unintentional 24-hour fast (18m32s).
• Looking at calorie intake over time can provide a different perspective on fasting and its effects on the body (18m49s).

Looking at Calories Over the Course of a Week (18m50s)

• Looking at calorie intake over the course of a week can be more beneficial than focusing on daily calorie intake, as it provides a more comprehensive view of overall calorie consumption (18m52s).
• It is not necessary to count calories daily, but rather get a rough idea of calorie intake and track it over the course of a week to allow for flexibility and balance (18m58s).
• Focusing on weekly calorie intake can help individuals avoid stressing about daily calorie limits, such as 2,000 or 3,000 calories per day, and instead aim for a balanced weekly total (19m5s).
• By tracking calories over a week, individuals may notice that some days they consume significantly more or fewer calories, but the weekly total can still be within their target range (19m20s).
• This approach can be thought of as having "miniature bulks and cuts" throughout the week, allowing for flexibility and balance in calorie intake (19m30s).
• The concept of tracking calories over a longer period, such as a week or month, can be more effective than focusing on short-term windows, such as hours or days (19m44s).
• This approach can help individuals avoid stressing about eating at specific times or intervals and instead focus on their overall calorie balance (19m53s).

How Jocko Cuts Weight (20m0s)

• To cut weight, adjustments are made to the portion sizes of regular meals, such as having half a protein shake in the morning instead of a whole one, or having half a steak instead of a whole one or two at night (20m17s).
• The adjustments are based on a general understanding of daily food intake, without needing to count calories, and the effects on weight are noticeable almost immediately (20m15s).
• A limited and repetitive diet makes it easier to make these adjustments, as it is simple to reduce or increase the portion sizes of familiar foods (21m6s).
• The diet consists of a limited variety of foods, which were also eaten during childhood, resulting in a limited palate and a preference for eating the same foods repeatedly (20m47s).
• This approach to eating makes it easy to fine-tune food intake when trying to cut weight, as the effects of different portion sizes are well understood (21m28s).
• The simplicity of the diet also eliminates the need to worry about the calorie content of unfamiliar or complex foods, such as escargot (21m46s).